Smart Stem
The exciting telescope project championed by PlanNet21’s Denise
Tormey and CIT-Blackrock Observatory connects Cork and San
Francisco in a unique and innovative way
Imagine…
Imagine a project that uses the inspirational
medium of astronomy to stimulate interest
in science and technology in a way that has
never been done before. Imagine bringing live
astronomy into the classroom, where students
get to control real telescopes in real-time and
take pictures that they want to take. Imagine
giving students the chance to write their own
120 | Silicon Valley Global

software code to connect with the telescopes.
Imagine them discussing their pictures with
students in classrooms across the globe
and opening up discussions not only about
cultural, technological and societal issues, but
about the burgeoning space-science industry
that use satellites to look down on our fragile
planet just as they are gazing skywards using
telescopes. Stimulate the imagination and you
stimulate creativity.

The Context
The weather in Ireland cannot rival California’s
clear blue skies but the country has a strong
astronomical heritage. For example, the oldest
known astronomically-aligned structure in
the world at Newgrange was built 6500 years
ago and the world’s largest telescope was
constructed in Birr in 1845, holding its preeminent position until the Hooker telescope